This is a serious question I have for you. Just to be clear, let me explain what I mean. Whatever your daily/weekly habits are — and by that I mean your habitual thoughts, the things you take in (not just food, but what you see, taste, touch, feel, etc.), what you do with your time, energy, and money, the people you surround yourself with, etc. — these things define you. They define who you are and how you are showing up in your life, but they also define where you are going. That’s what I mean by “trajectory.”

You see, whether you (or I) are conscious of it, or not, we tend to keep doing/saying/thinking the same things day after day. People don’t mean to choose to be stagnant, but without regular “big picture” thinking and without learning how to evolve the way we spend our time/energy/money, chances are we aren’t going anywhere we haven’t already been.

It can feel difficult to change. As I just mentioned, “know-how” is often a factor, but another lesser talked about cause of stagnation is an attachment to how things are. There can be a comfort in the pain, as in maybe it “seems” more comfortable to stay stuck where you are than to trade it for something you don’t even know if you can achieve.This is NOT the voice of Truth, or even the voice of Reason (because, no doubt, Reason would say, “You’ve been here and you know this isn’t going anywhere. You’d be better off trying something different, and fast!“). This is the voice of Self-Doubt, and in order to conquer it, I suggest IGNORING IT, because entertaining it gets you absolutely NOWHERE FAST and the more you listen, the more it talks! Seriously! At each new stage of our growth, there is resistance. This will not change.

Growth may not always be “comfortable”, but everything that you crave so deeply (and is your birthright!) — Wholeness, Ease, Vitality, Freedom, Pleasure, Connection, Time for Yourself, Vibrant Health, and Joy — is on the other side of that resistance. The other side of fear.

I was in South Dakota for a Yoga Health Coaching retreat a couple weeks ago. We talked about Evolution a LOT! My teacher talked about how there are three basic trajectories for people — one that is narrowing, one that is stagnant, and one that is ever-expanding. Let me explain…

Many people get more and more narrow in their trajectory throughout their lives — not intentionally, but it happens. How many people do you know that are walking around as a lesser version of themselves than when you first knew them? Most of our planet, I’m sure! That’s kind of the common knowledge that’s put out, right? Over time, you get older, lamer, less fun, your health dwindles, and your heading towards the grave. Am I right (I mean about the message we receive)? It’s not TRUE at all, but that’s what most people expect (sadly), and that belief/expectation becomes their self-fulfilling prophecy.

In the stagnant trajectory, we stay kind of dumb to the intelligence of our physiology and our potential. There’s just no real progression in our lives. We experience dis-EASE as a consequence for our habits that don’t serve us, but we make no changes.

And then we have my personal favorite — the Expanding Spiral! When we are on this trajectory, we continue to learn from our mistakes, tap into the wisdom of our physiology, LEAN INTO our GROWING EDGES and actually LIVE OUR EVER-GROWING POTENTIAL!

If we don’t say YES to wanting moreand invest in new ways of growing, then we will keep doing the same thing we’ve always done.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to CHANGE YOUR TRAJECTORY, I have two suggestions —

Reclaim Your Life! So many of us women are caught up in the “busyness” of day-to-day life that we’ve lost touch with our dreams and our intuition. Instead of experiencing joy, we are in a constant state of overwhelm and burnout.

We have an epidemic in our culture where “stress” has become our normal state of being.

Not only is this terrible for our overall health (mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically), but YOU DESERVE BETTER! I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but…You Can’t Pour From an Empty Cup!

In the wise words of Ella Fitzgerald, “Somethin’s Gotta Give!”

Whether you are suffering from BURNOUT because you’re overworked, FATIGUE from overwhelm, “MOMMY-BRAIN” from always mult-tasking and sleep-deprivation, or a LOSS of HOPE in your life, THIS CHALLENGE WAS MADE FOR YOU!

I want to give you tools to help you expand time, increase energy, tap into your intuition and potential, and get back to LIVING A LIFE YOU LOVE in a BODY YOU LOVE!

Over the weekend I ran an impromptu “Weekend Challenge” on Facebook and Instagram. In case you missed it, I’ve put them all together here. It’s simple, but very powerful stuff for transformation! If you’re interested in going further with me, read all the way through to the special offer at the end. ❤

Day 1: Gratitude

For Today, Ponder this…👇🏻
How will you end out this week? Or begin your weekend? How about letting into your heart all that’s supported you throughout the week and taking stock of what insights you’ve gained, what gifts you’ve received, and what might serve you best going forward into the weekend? Start with Gratitude. Make a list. See what’s working already for you. Let all of it in! Receive. Receive. Receive. Without clinging to what has been, or might be, coming to you. With open arms. With a knowing that everything you need will continue to come to you. Always. #heartchakra#gratitudepractice#abundance#morejoy#weekendchallenge#sacredspacehealingarts#easefulliving#lovethyself #ayurveda(Heart Chakra)

Day 2: Desire

Get in touch with what you DESIRE! ❤️💫♐️(If you didn’t read yesterday’s post go back and do that exercise first.) 📜Your desire is a roadmap to living your most awesome life! 🌟Instead of brushing your desires under the rug, give them your attention and let them guide you to using your gifts and living the life of your dreams!
🔮Make a list of all of the things you WANT. 🌈Nothing is off limits! 👈🏼
This isn’t for anyone else to read, so be free and HONEST! You might be surprised to see what comes out. Comment below and SHARE WHAT YOU DESIRE! ………………………….
OH! Before I forget, you can click this link to grab your Free Beginner Meditation Audio! So much LOVE!!#desiremap#desire#sacredspacehealingarts#designyourlife#weekendchallenge#yogaoffthemat#bereal

Day 4: Living Into Your Next Evolution {Embodiment Practice}

As promised, today I share with you a BONUS PRACTICE for living into Your Next Evolution! Pssst…there’s a special (!FREE!) offer waiting there for you! So Much Love!!!
❤️👊🏼💫💥
#yourdreamlifeawaits #evolve #yogaismorethanasana #embodiment #sacredspacehealingarts #takingittothenextlevel #wholisticevolution #yogahealthcoach

It’s FREE! This is a time that you and I can have a real and honest conversation. I will help you get clear on what obstacles are in the way of your growth and HEALTH.
No strings attached!

I’ve been meaning to connect with you lately — it’s been too long! The truth is that I keep sabotaging myself. Let me explain…

About a year ago I had an intention to start sending out a monthly newsletter to share insights and simple tips for living a healthy, happy life — including yoga, recipes, and various other things I think you’d like to know about. But here we are…one year older and no monthly newsletters to show — lol! Well, I recently had an insight about why I keep putting it off. And, because it’s something we all do, I wanted to share it with you so you can benefit from my A-HA, too!

Have you ever heard the term “Upper Limit”?In his book, The Big Leap, Gay Hendricks talks about how we self-sabotage by “upper-limiting” ourselves. He defines it like this:

“Each of us has an inner thermostat setting that determines how much love, success, and creativity we allow ourselves to enjoy. When we exceed our inner thermostat setting, we will often do something to sabotage ourselves, causing us to drop back into the old, familiar zone where we feel secure.”

Some of the ways we do this are worrying unnecessarily, playing the criticism and blame game, deflecting positivity and compliments, squabbling, and getting sick or injured. The premise is basically that we stop things from getting really great in our lives because, unconsciously, we don’t believe we deserve it. No one does it on purpose, so don’t beat yourself up. In my case with the newsletter, it was perfectionism (which might be a combination of criticism and worry).

Now I’ve learned that a balance needs to be struck between “getting it done” and “getting it right”, and in this case, I’ve been leaning all into the “getting it right” category, and therefore NOT getting it done at all.

Does this resonate with you? I can see how I’ve done this in so many ways throughout my life, but now that I recognize it so clearly, I’m changing how I do things. It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen. Starting with this post (which will also serve as a newsletter to those on my Email List)!

Owning up to behaviors/habits that don’t serve us is the first step in changing them. Now I’m wise to how seeking to get it right sabotages me from getting it done, so when I catch myself procrastinating on something because I want it to be “just so”, I will recalibrate and shift my trajectory towards Getting It Done.

In which ways do you Upper Limit yourself? I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment below to start the conversation!

Why do we often seem to make life harder than it needs to be?
We push ourselves too hard to produce. We try to fit too much into each day, live up to the expectations that we “think” others have for us, and then there’s FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out).

After all of THAT, there’s absolutely NO TIME left for YOU. Sound familiar? We all do it. That’s why I’m giving this talk. I want to share with you SIMPLE, EASY ways that the wisdom of Ayurveda can help bring more Ease & Energy into your life!

In this Free Talk, I’ll be giving tips on How to Nourish Yourself for More Energy & Mind/Body Ease. If you suffer from Auto-Immune issues, Chronic Fatigue, or if Stress and Overwhelm are part of your daily life, THIS IS FOR YOU!

In addition to Ayurvedic wisdom, there will be healthy seasonal snacks and beverages, awesome freebies, and a giveaway to look forward to! I hope to see you there!

More isn’t better.

You probably know that intuitively, even though our culture doesn’t currently support this truth (or your intuition for that matter). What can you do when all of the messaging around you is the OPPOSITE of what is Healthy and Whole? I have TWO answers. Both require a little effort on your part, but are easy peasy! Ready?
……………………………………………….
1) Make a commitment to yourself to find moments throughout your day to sit in silence. Sit well. Close your eyes. Tune into your breath. Listen for what arises within you. First you might sift through lots of thoughts, but let them pass through your mind without grabbing hold of them or examining them. Like the way clouds pass in the sky. Soft. Quiet. Spacious. Slowly allow more space between thoughts and more space within your mind and body. Deepen your breath. Settle into your Being. Let your jaw relax. Face soften…….FEEL GOOD? (More of this will begin to help you align to your intuition and deeper truth.)
2) Take my Habit course to hone your awareness of what YOU need to live a life of THRIVE! (Read more about that HERE.)

Would you like to Evolve your Health? This FREE TALK will give you tools to make real, lasting changes in your life! There will be some great freebies, too — smoothies, recipes to take home, and invitation to my yoga class!

Are you like me? When I’m thinking of gift-giving for the holidays, I look for something of real quality that will last. My gift-giving requirements are pretty steep. Specifically, these are some of the things I look for —

Something that LASTS. A one-time amusement doesn’t meet my standards. Because it will spend much more time in a landfill then in my friend’s life.

Something of VALUE. I prefer my gifts to have some true purpose, or meaning — again, not just a cheap thrill.

Something that has a positive effect on the HUMANITY and/or the PLANET. Cheap toys from China don’t make it under my tree. I don’t want to support sweat shops, child labor, or any other practices that are doing way more harm to people and the environment than good. Extra points for buying from small businesses with conscious and sustainable practices!!

Something that ENHANCES the life of the recipient. If a gift I give can somehow bring more ease, enjoyment, or educational value to the life of my friend, or family member, then I feel good knowing that I really made a difference.

Something HANDMADE is always extra awesome in my book, whether I make it, or I purchase it from someone else. When you buy from small, local businesses, the money goes directly back into the community where you live, so you’re doing a service to your town!

One thing I feel good about giving is dōTERRA essential oils, and homemade products using these oils. Last year I made homemade candles using dōTERRA essential oils, and they were a big hit! I think I hit every single one of my gift requirements with that one. My family got to enjoy the therapeutic benefits of essential oils every time they burned their candles and thought of me!

This year I wanted to share the dōTERRA Holiday Gift Guide 2016 with you! One of the things that caught my eye in their holiday collection this year is the Peace Basket.

Gift of Peace
The story of the Rwandan peace basket is one of triumph over tragedy. One hundred days in 1994 became known as the Rwandan genocide. Officially known as the genocide against the Tutsi, an estimated 70 percent of the Tutsi population in
Rwanda was killed during a few short months. While the stories of loss and tragedy are innumerable, the real story is told through the people, the landscape, the
children, and mostly, the future. Communities of people joining together in
traditional basket weaving cultivated healing and harmony. Gifting the baskets
to others continued the united pledge to establish peace. Love and nurturing pulsed through the streets of Rwanda. As women gathered together building pieces of art, they left behind healing, hope, strength, and honor.

In the same beautiful countryside that once rang the sound of destruction, the sound of laughter and love echoes off the beautiful, joy-filled faces of the Rwandan people choosing each day to build peace.

Through the Rwandan Peace Basket project, over 2,000 women were provided work and paid a fair wage for each basket made exclusively for dōTERRA. To further community impact, an adult literacy program was established to provide an
opportunity for those who were unable to attend school. Through this program, dreams become reality as men and women are finally able to write their names, read employment applications, open and use bank accounts, and teach generations to
come how to do the same.

This set includes a uniquely colored, randomly selected ornament basket. Each basket is handmade with sisal fibers from agave plants and features a tag signed by the specific artisan who made it. A 5mL bottle of dōTERRA Peace® Blend is included.
Thank you for choosing the Gift of Peace this holiday season. We hope you may feel your continuous role in supporting the 2,000 artisans as you share the Gift of Peace with those you love.

If you’d like to take a closer look, click on the image, or the “dōTERRA Holiday Gift Guide 2016″ link above. Ready Give Back with some of these gifts? CLICK HERE to go directly to my dōTERRA site to purchase. If you have any questions, I’ll be happy to give you a FREE consult on how you can start using these amazing essential oils and seeing results today! Looking for a way to make extra money on the side? CONTACT ME to find out more and become a member of my dōTERRA team!